skinny ferret

[stevoman 4]

hi folks have a quick question to ask you! i have two ferrets at home, one is last years and she is nice and plump when i acquired her, i know that her previous owner had been feeding her on cat food and i thought, id change her diet to what i feed mine and she has been on liver, kidney and mince since she arrived, as that is what i feed my ferrets. her coat has become far more softer now aswell.

i also have a kit at home, she is about 20 weeks old so she is and she is terribly skinny. everyday i give them a half a piece of liver each, or a lambs kidney each, or a bit of mince for themselves.

everytime i pick up the young ferret i can feel her ribs, and she comes across as skinny. am i feeding them enough do you think????

[daz1976 8]

i would have thought they would eat a little more than that mate or maybe the older one is taking more of the mince if their kept together,mine always have ferret biscuits down and then normally a rabbit between 2 of them every couple of days and all seem to be doing fine on that

[Guest Bigbob]

Pump the grub into the young ferret just now they need all the goodness when there young for growth etc so she will need a bit more than the older ferret just now .

[danielt 1]

Sorry to hijack, I have 4 ferrets, 3 are fine but one has gone a little skinny and her coat is dry and thinning out, she has also become aggressive, biting me big time, never done this before. All the rest are fine in good health and coats are in top condition. THey are fed a mix of dried ferret food, liver kidney and chicken or whatever i've got.

 

Any ideas ?

[stevoman 4]

could there be a possibilty that maybe the skinny one in your litter is at the bottom of the pecking order and is getting its food eatin by the others?

[stubby 175]

why feed mince???? ferrets are design to rip food apart, giving them whole foods is what they need, fur/feather/bone/meat, try giving your ferts a whole rabbit, gutted then cut into quarters, i always give them the head too, although lots on here dont feed or approve of ferret biscuit, i provide it all the time as i belive if they dont want it, they wont eat it, but they do, but they need more than just offal and mince,

[bill88 6]

have they been wormed? try splitting them up when you feed them. or it could just be that your not feeding them enough my jill is half the size of my hob but eats twice as much

 

Edited to say

Go easy on the liver and kidney,it shouldn't be fed everyday.

Edited October 17, 2007 by bill88

[daz1976 8]

not sure but didnt think ferrets caught worms

[Hob&Jill 258]

I like to be able to run my hand down from the ferrets rib cage down to the start of its back legs without my hand going in or out, if you know what I meen. I am very happy with the condition of mine at the moment. See some folk with hugely obese ferrets

[kreet 0]

mine go threw half a pound of dog mince a night each the big male eats the same as my smalles jill or a whole rabbit between them or they eat a whole makrel each in a night and they arnt over wait they would eat a pound of pig heart in a day between two so half a bit liver isnt enough mate they will eat a bit each easy and if they dont itl be there when they need it .

[Kay 3,709]

I like to be able to run my hand down from the ferrets rib cage down to the start of its back legs without my hand going in or out, if you know what I meen. I am very happy with the condition of mine at the moment. See some folk with hugely obese ferrets

 

dead right , you can tell an awfull lot by the feel of the ferret, nicely toned is one thing but you do see lots of fat ferrets

[stevoman 4]

i can see what you mean. maybe i should shake up the diet a bit. i know my kit came from small working stock, the man i bought him off told me he only bred from small hobs and jills. maybe thats why she is a skinny little thing. the other is a year old albino. i bought her a month ago and the lad i bought her from said she was last years. she's nice and tough and sturdy. im not sure if she has been wormed though. perhaps i should worm and vacinate them both to be on the safe side of things.

[Kay 3,709]

i can see what you mean. maybe i should shake up the diet a bit. i know my kit came from small working stock, the man i bought him off told me he only bred from small hobs and jills. maybe thats why she is a skinny little thing. the other is a year old albino. i bought her a month ago and the lad i bought her from said she was last years. she's nice and tough and sturdy. im not sure if she has been wormed though. perhaps i should worm and vacinate them both to be on the safe side of things.

 

 

I suppose as a general rule if theres any food left when you go to the cage in a morning to water etc your feeding enough, if the cupboards bare you better up the daily intake bit at time till you find a little left each day

[ferretville 69]

I try to give mine a varied diet meat even dry they eat anything. Every couple of days i feed them day old chicks and boy do they go mentle for them. Good thing with the chicks is that it cleans them out as well . I don`t use mince as i like them to have a good chew there selves good for there jaws. First thing in the morning there fed and t time . Because they are fed like this reulary i find that there is no waste nothing hidden away for later evey thing is gone. Allways there to greet me full of beans a bit play and then straight into their bait. Given them a varied diet keeps them fit and healthy . Imagine eating the same shit every day you would be sick keep em fit and you keep them game. Happy hunting fv

[ghengis 4]

similar post on another site recently,ferrets can get worms,beleive it or not.

http://www.all-about-ferrets.com/internal-...in-ferrets.html

have you checked its mouth for anything stuck.?

any fleas/ticks as these can drain a ferret.?failing that try some wormer i use:

 

Panacur liquid 10%- 1 ml per kilo body weight

 

Panacur liquid 2.5%- 4 ml per kilo body weight

available from vets cost you about £2 just use it as a drench (pour it over body)